


Marrow

by pentapus, Rachael Sabotini (wickedwords)



Category: Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells
Genre: Friendship, Gen, M/M, POV Outsider, The Siren Depths Tag, Treehouse Reversebang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-21
Updated: 2014-01-21
Packaged: 2018-01-09 11:56:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1145696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pentapus/pseuds/pentapus, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedwords/pseuds/Rachael%20Sabotini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shade is the adventurous one, according to Marrow. Tag for The Siren Depths.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Marrow

**Author's Note:**

> Treehouse Reversebang is Pentapus's challenge, where she gives you a lovely piece of art and you write a story based on it. As I had just finished The Siren Depths, I requested a Raksura piece, and she gave me an image with Shade and OC; after a little discussion, the story took off. She also provided an excellent beta of the first draft, as did Movies_Michelle of the final one. Their comments rocked.

Marrow stood in the sentry blind, scanning the sky for Malachite and the others. No one in Opal Night felt at ease, least of all the warriors now on sentry duty. The Fell threat kept everyone close to home out of fear. Only the warriors were stationed out as far as possible, to give warning should something happen.

Dim shapes pasted against a bright afternoon skyline made Marrow's heart skip. He glanced at the signal lamp, set out so that one touch and the carefully prepared warning beacon would flash back to Opal Night and set off a high alert. 

He swallowed and looked back at the shapes. Steady, he told himself. Steady. He was picked for this job because he wouldn't jump to conclusions, but sweat trickled down his spine just the same.

He stared at the shapes, watching them come closer, and took a shuddering sigh the moment they resolved into other Raksura . They were coming quickly toward his position, and mentally Marrow raced through the current duty roster to narrow down who it might be.

Oh. It must be Daring and Honor. Of course it was them and not a Fell invasion. They were flying the perimeter today, double checking everyone's positions and verifying the signal lights were still working, which meant no news. He let himself slump a little, and realized he needed to unclench his teeth. This was a bad business, and he really wanted everyone home safe.

Especially Shade. Stupid Shade, sneaking off to join the foreign Raksura on the flying ship. Why did he have to be so curious about the world outside of Opal Night court? Why couldn't he be content with all of his books at home?

The two scouts streamed past Marrow's post, not bothering to stop, the wind snatching their voices as they flew past. Marrow's heart pounded, his blood rising as he stepped toward the signal light, his hand hovering above it. "Fell?"

Daring shook her head. "Malachite's back!" she yelled.

"The line grandfather's -- Stone -- is with her." Honor added, her wings flapping hard and fast. She was the best sprinter in Opal Night and she was covering almost as much territory as a consort in a single wingflap. "We have to get there first."

Honor's voice was already fading as they streaked to court, but Marrow had to try. "What about Shade?" His voice was worried and plaintive, and his words echoed in the air around him, drifting to the ground unanswered except for the creak of the branches. Marrow huffed out a breath as their forms became tiny dots and tried not to think about what might have happened.

Malachite would not return without Shade, he already knew that. But what else might have happened.... He'd have to hope that someone would take pity on him and send news before his watch ended.

#####

No such luck. A few hours later, Marrow watched as the Raksura army and the flying ship had passed by his post, too distant for more than simple shape recognition. He was lucky for even that much reassurance, and it was several more hours before Shard came out to release him from duty.

"They're all back at court," Shard said as she picked up the basket of light stones used for the signal beacon and settled it on her hip. "The Arbora wanted a formal dinner, but Malachite said she would eat in her rooms. Shade went with her."

Shade was back. Marrow felt a great weight lift from his chest. "What about the Fell?"

"Dead." With Malachite, could the result be anything else? Shard shrugged, her green scales sparkling with the last of the sunlight. "We're pulling all of the sentries back. Pack up and get to court. We're all sleeping at home tonight." She shoved the basket back at him. "Take these back to storage when you get there. No one is expecting an invasion force for a while."

With a nod, Marrow eagerly began the work of packing and storing the long term supplies while Shard continued on to the next post. There was little that he needed to take back to court, other than the beacon stones and his bed roll. Other sentries might like roughing it in the shelters, but Marrow liked his little luxuries, and right now a warm meal, a soak in a warm pool, and a warm bed sounded like a perfect night.

The flight back took several hours, and Marrow's shoulders ached from the flight. He'd stopped once by a river, setting down the basket for a while and snagging a fish out of the stream to eat. The dark blue river dweller wasn't large, but it was fresh and good enough for a quick meal; there would be much better to eat when he got home. 

As he started to pack up again, Marrow noticed that there was a small outcropping of gold flowers near the stream. The gold and brown reminded him of Shade's favorite tunic, the one with the swirls on it, that he wore when he was spending the day in his bower reading, and only coming out for food.

The flowers made Marrow smile, and he plucked a couple to give to Shade as a welcome home. 

#####

The smell from the kitchens drew Marrow to the back entrance like sweetwater drew flies. Even though he'd eaten, it had been a long flight, and he was both chilled and starved. He padded inside, and wended his way through the narrow paths to the storage hall. He quickly handed over the beacon stones to Reed, his stomach growling at him the whole time. 

It was a relief to pick up some bread and grasseater, slather on some spiced paste on the bread and eat, even though he was finished with both in what felt like three bites. The crowd of Arbora working on making pressed fruit paste laughed at him, and Moss made a comment about growing warriors; as everyone knew he was already taller than most of the warriors his age, Marrow ignored them as he finished and went back for seconds. He was dirty and tired, but he also wanted to take Shade the flowers before they wilted. Maybe just a quick wash to be presentable, and then he would find Shade. After, he could enjoy a long hot bath on his own.

Snagging a couple of pieces of fruit, he gave the cooks a friendly wave on his way up to his bower. Tomorrow would be time enough to find out who hadn't made it back to the tree; today was for the living. He felt almost dizzy with relief knowing that Shade had made it home. 

#####

Marrow and Shade became friends almost the first day that Shade had arrived at Opal Night. The noise from the new people had woken Marrow along with most of the others in his clutch. The teachers tried to keep them settled, but once the new hatchlings arrived, it was all energy and noise. Marrow had taken a blanket and crawled over to a cluster of storage baskets near the back wall, shoving them around until he had enough space to lie down out of the light. It was like a tiny cave, comfortable and cozy. He started to drift off right away.

One of the new hatchlings crawled over to join him, sliding down between Marrow and the wall. Marrow tucked his arms and wings around the newcomer, sliding up to his back so they could stay warm together. It wasn't until morning that he learned the name of his midnight companion: Shade, the new half-Fell consort. 

#####

It felt good to clamber up the vines and ledges to reach Shade's chamber; he liked using all of his muscles, not just his wings or his legs. He'd felt cramped in the sentry blind, unable to roam as much as he liked. The flowers were tucked into his shirt so he could pull them out easily, to surprise Shade. Shade thought it was funny whenever Marrow showed up hanging upside down. Marrow didn't get why it was so hilarious, but if Shade thought it was, that was all that mattered. Shade was too quiet, in Marrow's opinion, and it was worth playing the fool at times to get him to laugh.

The moment he caught a glimpse of Shade, he knew something was wrong. Shade always wore his groundling form, but he was more pale than usual, as if he had lost blood or hadn't eaten in a while. He was also sitting quietly at the back of the room, not reading, not writing, just staring at the floor. Marrow had the impression that Shade had folded in on himself, and that if he could have managed it, he would simply disappear.

Marrow frowned. That wasn't a good thought at all.

"Hi Shade!" He did a hop-flip, grabbing the vines that lead up to Shade's favorite nest with his feet. "I brought these for you." He shifted so he could pull the flowers out of his tunic but shifted back immediately, so he could grab onto the vines again and held out the flowers for Shade to take. He dangled there for a bit, holding the flowers, but Shade just stared at him; he didn't even crack a smile. 

"I'm glad you're back." Marrow finally righted himself, dropping down onto the floor. 

"Marrow..." Shade shook his head. "I wanted to be left alone."

"Oh you always want that." He plopped down next to Shade. "Don't worry, I know it doesn't apply to me."

Shade's smile was a little sad as he took the flowers Marrow refused to put away. "Someday it might."

"No, I really don't think it would." 

"Did Malachite see you?" Shade plucked at the flowers, like his hands were disconnected from his mind.

"Please, I have been avoiding her since you took rooms up in the consort's area." Marrow didn't plan on ever mentioning the conversation Malachite had with him years ago, when she first caught Marrow 'invading her son's privacy,’ the one that left him with a scar at the base of his tail. She said it was a reminder of what would happen if he ever hurt Shade, which they both agreed was something he would never, ever, do. 

It was also why he got remote sentry duty a lot, once he was old enough to be sent. 

Shade rolled the flowers in his hands, his eyes focused on the floor. "Maybe you should leave."

"Maybe I should put these in water." Marrow took the now-bedraggled flowers out of Shade's hands, stuffed them into a glass, and poured some water out of a pitcher sitting on Shade's shelf. "There you go," he said proudly. "Looks pretty good. And they go with your robe."

"Marrow..."

"You don't have to talk." Marrow put his finger against Shade's lips. "I don't need an explanation, and I don't need to know what happened. Whatever it was, I know it was bad, and I know it's not going to be something you can just set aside." He placed his hands on Shade's shoulders. "All of my life, I've known about the Fell, who they are and what they can do. I've seen you treated like a living reminder of how bad it can get, but to me, no matter how bad it was, I was okay with it because it gave me you. Malachite and I both feel that way, and you will never have to justify what you did to either of us. It will be okay."

Shade looked up at him, and put his hands over Marrow's. "I don't want to talk--"

"You never do."

''--but I don't want to sleep alone." He smiled wistfully up at his friend. "Will you spend the night with me?"

"Anytime." He pulled Shade into a hug, his groundling skin warm against Marrow's scales. "I will always be your friend."

He didn't say a thing as he felt a few tears dampen his chest. Marrow simply held on.

 

The End.


End file.
